Coupling.



M. M. FERNANDEZ.

v COUPLING.

APPLIOATI0N FILED NOV. 9, 1910.

Patefited Dec. 12, 1911.

witnesses.

W'MM

OLUMBIA PLANOGI IAPH 60.,WASHIN01'0N D C MICHAEL M. FERNANDEZ, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

COUPLING.

Application filed November-9, 1910.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

Serial No. 591,445.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL M. FERNAN- DEZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shaft couplings and particularly to that type of shaft couplings which embodies a box or sleeve having chambers which receive balls or rollers in contact with the surface of the shaft, and which are adapted to jam in the box when the shaft rotates so as to impart motion from the driving shaft to the driven shaft.

The object of this inventionis to produce an improved construction for the box of this type which will insure an effective operation of the coupling, and further which will insure a proper alinement of the rollers when rollers are employed instead of balls.

In the drawing forming apart of the annexed specification Figure 1 is a cross section through a shaft and showing one of my couplings partly in elevation and in cross section at different points. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section through the coupling shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross sec tion through the coupling taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the parts 4, 4 represent sections of shaft which are to be coupled together, said shafts being in axial alinement and arranged with their ends nearly abutting, but disposed slightly apart so as to form a gap as indicated.

The coupling comprises a box or sleeve 5 of cylindrical form which extends over the abutting ends of the shafts as shown. At its middle point this sleeve is provided with a set screw 6 which extends into the gap between the ends of the shafts 1 and prevents the coupling from sliding longitudi-.

nally on the shaft as will be readily understood. This box or coupling is of cylindrical form on its exterior and it is adapted to receive the shafts. The inner face of its wall is formed into a plurality of pockets or chambers 7 which are of crescent form when the shafts are in position as shown. These pockets 7 are divided into two sections or compartments 8 each of which corresponds to one of the shafts 4:, said compartments being formed by means of a transverse division plate 9 which isthe same form as the interior of the coupling in cross secthe edge of this division plate 9 is cut away so as to form a recess 10 whichreceives the end of the set screw 6 as shown.

It should be understood that the "faces of the pockets or chambers 7 are cylindrical and are simply formed on a small radius so that the sides of the pockets approach the surface of the shafts at three points. In these pockets I provide rollers 11 which extend longitudinally of the coupling and are normally disposed at the middle point or widest point of each pocket. The inner ends of these rollers abutagainstthe dividing plate 9 and they are held against falling out of the ends of the coupling by means of an annular keeper plate [9- attached at each end of the coupling by screws 13 as shown.

With a coupling constructed as described it will be evident that when one of the shafts 1 is rotated the rollers will jam in the contracted ends of the pockets 7 and clamp the sleeve rigidly to the shaft. In this way the rotation of one shaft will be transmitted to the other. WVhere the rotation is to occur in one direction only I provide set screws 14 which are inserted in the wall of the sleeve nearly tangentially to the shaft as indicated in Fig. 8 and the inner ends of these screws project into the chambers or pockets 7 and operate as stops to prevent the rollers from moving into the ends of the pockets adjacent to the set screws. When the rollers are against the ends of these set screws they are in their normal position in the widest point of the pocket; as soon as the shaft commences to rotate however in the direction of the arrow indicated in Fig. 1 the rollers roll toward the ends of the pocket toward which the shaft is moving and j am therein, and this looks the shaft sections and the sleeve 5 rigidly together as will be readily understood. These set screws also assist in preserving the proper alinement of the rollers in the pockets.

While I have illustrated three of the pockets of the chamber 7 there may be more or less of them as desired, and the number of the pockets may depend somewhat upon the size or diameter of the shaft.

What I claim is 1. In combination, a pair of shafts arranged in alinement with their ends disposed slightly apart so as to form a gap therebetween, a coupling sleeve receiving the adjacent ends of said shafts, means carried thereby projecting into said gap and holding said sleeve against longitudinal movement on said shafts, said sleeve having a plurality of pockets formed on the inner face thereof adjacent to the surface of said shafts, and rollers received respectively in said pockets and adapted to jam between said shafts and said sleeve upon a relative rotation thereof.

2. In combination, a pair of shafts ar ranged in alinement and disposed with their ends apart to form a gap therebetween, a coupling sleeve receiving the ends of said shafts, means secured to said sleeve and interposed between the adjacent ends of said shafts to prevent a longitudinal movement of said sleeve on said shafts, a division plate disposed in said gap and mounted Within said sleeve, said sleeve having a plurality of crescent shaped pockets formed in the inner face thereof adjacent to the surface of said shafts, and a plurality of rollers disposed respectively in said pockets and adapted to jam therein by relative rotation of said shafts and said sleeve.

3. In combination, a pair of shafts arranged in alinement and having their ends disposed adjacent, a coupling sleeve disposed over the adjacent'ends of said shafts and having a plurality of pockets formed in the inner face thereof adjacent to the surface of said shafts, a plurality of rollers received in said pockets and adapted to jam between said shafts and said sleeve upon a relative rotation thereof, means secured to said sleeve and interposed between the ad jacent ends of said shafts to prevent a longitudinal movement of said sleeve on said shafts, and a plurality" of adjustable screws, one for each roller for holding said rollers against movement in one direction in said pockets.

4. In combination, a pair of shafts arranged in alinement with their ends disposed slightly apart so as to form a gap therebetween, a coupling sleeve receiving the adjacent ends of said shafts, means carried thereby projecting into said gap and holding said sleeve against longitudinal movement on said shafts, a division plate disposed in said gap and mounted within said sleeve, said sleeve having a plurality of pockets formed on the inner face thereof adjacent to the surface of said shafts, and rollers received respectively in said pockets and adapted to jam between said shafts and said sleeve upon a relative rotation thereof.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 29th day of September, 1910.

MICHAEL M. FERNANDEZ.

Witnesses:

F. D. AMMEN, EDMUND A. STRAUsE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

